Ranking the top 5 centers in the Eastern Conference ahead of the 2021-22 NBA season
We know that the 2021-22 NBA season isn’t much further away since pre-season games are already underway. Fans would now be keenly anticipating the start of the regular season on October 19, given that there has been no NBA action for approximately the last three months.
As part of our countdown to the start of the 75th NBA season, we are ranking the best players across positions in the Eastern and Western Conferences. We have already ranked the top five point guards, shooting guards, small forwards and power forwards in the two conferences. We now turn our attention to the five best players at the center position in the Eastern Conference.
#5 Myles Turner (Indiana Pacers)
Jarrett Allen (12.8 ppg, 10.0 rpg and 61.8% field goal shooting in 2020-21) of the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Milwaukee Bucks’ Brook Lopez (12.3 ppg, 50.3% field goal shooting in the same period) were also considered for this spot. But Turner edged them both because of his superior rim-protecting ability. Turner led the NBA in blocks-per-game last season (3.4 bpg). He also averaged 12.6 ppg and 6.5 rpg while shooting a respectable 33.5% from downtown.
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The big challenge for Turner is how he coexists with teammate and power forward Domantas Sabonis on the floor. Sabonis could be a center in his own right, but for now, he is ranked among the power forwards. Sabonis outrebounds (12.0 rpg to 6.5 rpg in 2020-21) Turner and outscores him (20.3 ppg to 12.6 ppg) too.
Either Turner accepts this role where he is more of a defensive shot-blocker or has a breakthrough 2021-22 NBA season where he establishes himself as a dominant scoring big man.
#4 Clint Capela (Atlanta Hawks)
Clint Capela proved his value once again to the second NBA team he has been associated with. After playing six seasons with the Houston Rockets, where he was a key player, Capela contributed 15.2 ppg and a league-best 14.3 rpg to the Atlanta Hawks in his very first season with the team in 2020-21.
Tasked with guarding Joel Embiid in Atlanta’s conference semifinals matchup with Philadelphia in the 2021 Playoffs, Capela also did a fairly decent job of limiting Embiid to 47% shooting from the floor compared to the center’s 51.3% field goal efficiency in the regular season.
While Capela is a great rebounding center (also dominant on the offensive board and led the league in 2020-21), he does not spread the floor. He has attempted just two three-point shots in his seven-year NBA career. He is also a poor free throw shooter, averaging just 53.4% from the charity stripe over his seven-year NBA career.
However, the fact that he is extremely efficient in pick-and-roll situations and can also be used very effectively as a screen setter establishes his high value for any team that he plays for.
Atlanta Hawks center Clint Capela has agreed on a two-year, $46M extension, sources tell ESPN. He had two years left on his current deal and now is under contract through 2024-2025.